India Shining???

"Slumdog gets the award for the best screnplay!!", shouted the gentleman sitting opposite to me as the Inter City Express chugged out of Platform No 5 of Secunderabad Junction.

Lowering the newspaper that I was reading, I just gave him a wry smile. Not that I wasn't too keen about it, but I found this man's enthusiasm a bit too awry. As the train gathered momentum, I saw myself deply engrossed in the newspaper. After about half an hour, I hear another sms tone from his mobile. He reads it again and shouts' "Slumdog wins an Oscar for Best Cinematography!!". This time to the people sitting in the opposite side, having realised that I was not gonna react!!

"Kya Oscaran jeette ji!!! Logon ko usse kuch farq padta hai kya??" one of them said in typical Urdu mixed Hyderabadi Hindi.

He was indeed right. Nobody really bothers. When the film is gonna win accolades, we claim it to be ours, just because it is based in Mumbai and written by an Indian. Even when the debates are hot as to whether the movie deserves to be considered as an Indian, the Oscars could not have come at a better time. When Vikas Swarup wrote the novel a few years back, hardly would he have thought that he is writing whats gonna be a Hollywood Blockbuster.

Though I was not too keen about how Slumdog performed at the Oscars, I was praying that AR Rahman bags the Oscars, simply because he deserves it. Frankly I opine that the book was far better and held more suspense than the movie and also that Rahman has given better music in lots of movies in Hindi and Tamil earlier.

The journey was very different today. I dont know what, but something inside me made me travel by non AC compartment today. And surprisingly, the train was very much empty today.

"One more for Slumdog......"

I was really being amused by this person's energy and enthusiasm to let all other people know about the latest. My thoughts started wandering and I started thinking about how India will react to the Oscars. Initially, there will be a lot of hype and celebrations. The winners will get a heroes welcome. Then the Indian Government will realise the true worth of Rahman and others and present them with Civilian awards. I wont even be surprised if they bestow Rahman with the Dada Saheb Phalke or even the Bharat Ratna.

Such has been our way of working that we never realise the talent inherent in our motherland. Only when Amartya Sen recieved the Nobel, was he awarded the Bharat Ratna. Only when the world recognises the contribution of our people, our eyes really open. And we do not even hesitate to claim that people of Indian origin, who have left Indian soil way too long back, looking for greener pastures, when they achieve something great, to be ours!

As I was going through the newspaper, I came across an interesting article. It was trying to impress the role played by the media in the unification of our country. The author tries to say that unlike it was a generation before, the media and the entertainment industry has made people more open to other cultures and traditions. Regional traditions and cultures are acepted openly withour fearing a diliution of one's own culture. But I was just wondering whether this is really a aceptance of traditions or just a display of regional identity? As the author said, while the identity is more visible, its all the less rooted. In a larger sense, the tradition today is becoming les a source and more a costume. We wear extravagant signs of tradition, but do not really practise it. We do not understand the deper meaning as to what it really stands for. We observe tradition rather than being embedded inside it. What else can explain the various extravagant dishes and cuisines we have in the menu for our functions? What else can explain the multiplexes screening special shows on occasion of Shivaratri and pubs being granted extended permissions to run till early morning hours?

We have become open to the entire world and whatever we see, whatever we do is benchmarked with the best in the world. Our companies are taking over foreign companies left right and centre. "Our people" are being counted more and more in the Forbes list of richest people. Our people also become well known all over the world for their achievements. But just spare a thought to what has happened to billions of common people back home. Will Slumdog winning Oscars, change the standard of living of people in Dharavi? Will our takeovers and mergers, substantially reduce the number of people below the poverty line? Will "our people" succeeding all over the world, make India a better place to live? Will our tomorrow be really better than today?

There is no doubt that India is moving forward!! But is India really shining??